DSquared2 rose embellished black pumps

DSquared2 is one of those brands which I love, but which is far enough out of my price range that my best chance of ever owning a pair is to hunt them down on sale, or at Yoox.com, which is where I found these black pumps. At £190, they’re STILL a bit out of my current budget, and they’re definitely not what you’d call “cheap”, but they’re a little more affordable than they’d have been when they were first released, and they’re unusual enough that you might consider them worth splurging on, anyway.

With a realistic-looking red rose embellishment on the toe, these shoes have a bit of a fairytale feel to them, although the more I look at them, the more convinced I am that they’re the kind of shoes that would be worn by the wicked queen, rather than the fairytale princess. (That’s not a criticism, by the way.) Underneath the giant rose, there’s a beautifully shaped court shoe, and I like the fact that the toe is closed on these: it’s more usual to find this kind of embellishment on peep toes or sandals than on closed courts, but the fact that these aren’t open to the elements means you’d be able to wear them year-round if you so desired.

In addition to this dramatic black and red colourway, these also come in a tan upper with a blue flower:

I’m less keen on this version, as the colours aren’t ones I’d instinctively wear together, but the tan upper is available in a wider range of sizes than the black one, so you’ll have a better chance of finding one that fits.